CAT 2023 Slot 3 VARC Question & Solution

Reading ComprehensionEasy

Passage

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question.
Understanding romantic aesthetics is not a simple undertaking for reasons that are internal to the nature of the subject. Distinguished scholars, such as Arthur Lovejoy, Northrop Frye and Isaiah Berlin, have remarked on the notorious challenges facing any attempt to define romanticism. Lovejoy, for example, claimed that romanticism is “the scandal of literary history and criticism” . . . The main difficulty in studying the romantics, according to him, is the lack of any “single real entity, or type of entity” that the concept “romanticism” designates. Lovejoy concluded, “the word ‘romantic’ has come to mean so many things that, by itself, it means nothing” . . .

The more specific task of characterizing romantic aesthetics adds to these difficulties an air of paradox. Conventionally, “aesthetics” refers to a theory concerning beauty and art or the branch of philosophy that studies these topics. However, many of the romantics rejected the identification of aesthetics with a circumscribed domain of human life that is separated from the practical and theoretical domains of life. The most characteristic romantic commitment is to the idea that the character of art and beauty and of our engagement with them should shape all aspects of human life. Being fundamental to human existence, beauty and art should be a central ingredient not only in a philosophical or artistic life, but also in the lives of ordinary men and women. Another challenge for any attempt to characterize romantic aesthetics lies in the fact that most of the romantics were poets and artists whose views of art and beauty are, for the most part, to be found not in developed theoretical accounts, but in fragments, aphorisms and poems, which are often more elusive and suggestive than conclusive.

Nevertheless, in spite of these challenges the task of characterizing romantic aesthetics is neither impossible nor undesirable, as numerous thinkers responding to Lovejoy’s radical skepticism have noted. While warning against a reductive definition of romanticism, Berlin, for example, still heralded the need for a general characterization: “[Although] one does have a certain sympathy with Lovejoy’s despair…[he is] in this instance mistaken. There was a romantic movement…and it is important to discover what it is” . . .

Recent attempts to characterize romanticism and to stress its contemporary relevance follow this path. Instead of overlooking the undeniable differences between the variety of romanticisms of different nations that Lovejoy had stressed, such studies attempt to characterize romanticism, not in terms of a single definition, a specific time, or a specific place, but in terms of “particular philosophical questions and concerns” . . .

While the German, British and French romantics are all considered, the central protagonists in the following are the German romantics. Two reasons explain this focus: first, because it
has paved the way for the other romanticisms, German romanticism has a pride of place among the different national romanticisms . . . Second, the aesthetic outlook that was developed in Germany roughly between 1796 and 1801-02 — the period that corresponds to the heyday of what is known as “Early Romanticism” . . .— offers the most philosophical expression of romanticism since it is grounded primarily in the epistemological, metaphysical, ethical, and political concerns that the German romantics discerned in the aftermath of Kant’s philosophy.

Question 1

The main difficulty in studying romanticism is the:

elusive and suggestive nature of romantic aesthetics.

lack of clear conceptual contours of the domain.

controversial and scandalous history of romantic literature.

absence of written accounts by romantic poets and artists.

Solution:

“The main difficulty in studying the romantics, according to him, is the lack of any “single real entity, or type of entity” that the concept “romanticism” designates.”

Option B is the correct answer because it accurately captures the main difficulty highlighted in the passage when studying romanticism. The passage, particularly referencing Arthur Lovejoy, emphasizes the challenge posed by the lack of clear conceptual contours or a single, cohesive entity associated with the term "romanticism." Lovejoy's assertion that romanticism is the "scandal of literary history and criticism" underscores the difficulty in defining the boundaries and characteristics of this literary and artistic movement.

The elusive and suggestive nature of romantic aesthetics (Option A) is mentioned in the passage as a challenge, but it is not identified as the main difficulty. Similarly, the controversial and scandalous history of romantic literature (Option C) is not specified as the primary obstacle. The absence of written accounts by romantic poets and artists (Option D) is acknowledged as a challenge, but the primary difficulty highlighted in the passage is the lack of clear conceptual contours associated with romanticism.

Question 2

According to the romantics, aesthetics:

should be confined to a specific domain separate from the practical and theoretical aspects of life.

is primarily the concern of philosophers and artists, rather than of ordinary people.

is widely considered to be irrelevant to human existence.

permeates all aspects of human life, philosophical and mundane.

Solution:

“The most characteristic romantic commitment is to the idea that the character of art and beauty and of our engagement with them should shape all aspects of human life. Being fundamental to human existence, beauty and art should be a central ingredient not only in a philosophical or artistic life, but also in the lives of ordinary men and women.”

According to the passage, the romantics rejected the idea of confining aesthetics to a specific domain separate from practical and theoretical aspects of life. Instead, they believed that aesthetics, encompassing the character of art and beauty, should permeate all aspects of human existence, not only in philosophical or artistic lives but also in the lives of ordinary men and women.Therefore Option D is the correct answer.

Question 3

Which one of the following statements is NOT supported by the passage?

Characterising romantic aesthetics is both possible and desirable, despite the challenges involved.

Recent studies on romanticism seek to refute the differences between national romanticisms.

Romantic aesthetics are primarily expressed through fragments, aphorisms, and poems.

Many romantics rejected the idea of aesthetics as a domain separate from other aspects of life.

Solution:

The passage suggests that recent studies on romanticism do not seek to overlook the differences between national romanticisms but rather attempt to characterize romanticism in terms of particular philosophical questions and concerns. The focus is on understanding romanticism without ignoring the diversity among different national expressions of it. Therefore Option B is the correct answer as it is not supported by the passage.

Option A: Although the passage acknowledges the challenges in characterizing romantic aesthetics, it also argues that it is not impossible or undesirable. Scholars recognize the difficulty but still emphasize the importance of discovering the nature of romanticism.
Option C: The passage mentions that the views of romantics on art and beauty are often found in fragments, aphorisms, and poems rather than in fully developed theoretical accounts. This emphasizes the elusive and suggestive nature of their expressions.

Option D: The passage notes that many romantics rejected the identification of aesthetics with a circumscribed domain of human life that is separated from the practical and theoretical domains of life. Instead, they believed that the character of art and beauty should shape all aspects of human life.

Question 4

According to the passage, recent studies on romanticism avoid “a single definition, a specific time, or a specific place” because they:

understand that the variety of romanticisms renders a general analysis impossible.

prefer to highlight the paradox of romantic aesthetics as a concept.

prefer to focus on the fundamental concerns of the romantics.

seek to discredit Lovejoy’s scepticism regarding romanticism.

Solution:

Option C is the correct answer because it accurately reflects the passage's explanation of why recent studies on romanticism avoid seeking "a single definition, a specific time, or a specific place." According to the passage, these studies opt to characterize romanticism in terms of "particular philosophical questions and concerns" rather than attempting to provide a singular, all-encompassing definition. The reason for this approach is to delve into the fundamental concerns of the romantics, recognizing that romanticism is a complex and multifaceted movement with diverse expressions in different nations and contexts.

The passage suggests that romanticism is not easily confined to a single, universally applicable definition due to the variety of romanticisms in different nations. Instead of discrediting or refuting Lovejoy's skepticism (Option D), recent studies acknowledge the challenges and complexities of defining romanticism but seek to understand it by focusing on the core philosophical questions and concerns that were central to the romantics' worldview.